NEWS Westway December 2014 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year We’ve moved to new offices! Inside: ■ The Mayor opens our new offices ■ Help plan our next fun day ¶ Win a £25 voucher – competition on page 10 Westway Housing Association Find the 10 differences between these two pictures. Answers below. 1) Boy’s boots are blue. 2) The star has moved to the tree on the left. 3) The cat is grey. 4) The yellow snowballs are white. 5) The front tree is missing. 6) The girl has no scarf. 7) Dad’s hat is maroon. 8) The dog’s eyes are brown. 9) The snowballs on the left are missing. 10) The girl’s hat has two bobbles. Translations and other formats For help with translations or information in Braille, large print or on an audio cassette, please phone us on 020 8962 3330. Arabic Westway Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Contact details Repairs – office hours: Christine Etten, Customer Services Officer, 020 8962 3348, [email protected] Brian Kervick, Property Services Manager, 020 8962 3334, [email protected] Repairs – out-of-hours emergencies: Phone 020 8964 2323 and follow instructions. Housing services: Marcia Taylor-Josephs, Customer Services Officer, 020 8962 3330, [email protected] Leonard Brown, Senior Housing Officer, 020 8962 3346, [email protected] Anthony Akerele, Housing Officer, 020 8962 3347, [email protected] Shayaan Hafeez, Income & Tenancy Sustainment Officer (part-time), 020 8962 3336, [email protected] General enquiries: Colleen Carrington-Miles, 020 8962 3332, [email protected] Turkish Somali Urdu NEWS Spot the difference December 2014 Office address: Westway Housing Association, 292b Kensal Road, W10 5BE. Website: www.westwayha.org.uk www.facebook.com/WestwayHousing Swahili www.twitter.com/@WestwayH We’ve moved to new offices! Inside: Copy and design: www.carolsaunders.co.uk Westway Housing Association ■ The Mayor opens our new offices ■ Help plan our next fun day ¶ Win a £25 voucher – competition on page 10 Westway Housing Association Annual Report for tenants New services on their way We published our Annual Report on time before 1 October. We have sent copies to tenants and it is also on our website. Pay by debit card Westway Xmas office opening Sa. 27th S. 28th Closed Closed Closed M. 29th T. 30th W. 31st 9am-5pm 9am-5pm 9am-5pm Th. 1st F. 2nd onwards Closed As normal: 9am-5pm Left: The Mayor declares our office officially open. We are also hoping to add an option to our website, so that you can make secure payments using your debit card online. For emergencies, phone the main switchboard on 020 8964 2323. Below: The Mayor pictured with Chair Abraham Nofamo (centre) and CEO Ricky Scipio (right). Where to find us: Our new head office is at 292b Kensal Road, W10 5BE. Our phone numbers remain the same. MOR Pay your rent in advance TI Kensal Green IL BE RT HA CEMETERY RO AD BY D ROA WA ST Y AD WE RO RL NE OW ERN BA STO RR EST GR EAT W From 2015-2016, we want to pilot offering you repairs appointments straight away – so that you don’t have to wait to hear from a contractor after placing your repair order. As well as being more convenient for you, we hope that by streamlining our service, we will be able to complete more repairs on time. be If you aren’t sure how much rent you should be paying, call our Customer Services Officers. Faster repairs appointments e tu ■ Your rent is £100 a week. The total for a year (52 weeks) is: £100 x 52 = £5,200. ■ Your total rent divided by the 12 months of the year is £5,200 ÷ 12 = £433.33. ■ You should pay us £433.33 every month in advance. ELK rov ke G As an example: BA dbro During the next financial year, we plan to make your rent accounts and statements available on our website, so that you can easily check your payment history. a To L If you pay monthly, don’t forget that a calendar month is more than four weeks. Work out your total rent for the year then divide it by the 12 months in a year. OAD YR RLB E 2 On the web OV Pay rent Paying monthly? HA GR Monday 1 December If you’re currently paying late, you may need to start paying an ROAD KE Even if you get full or partial Housing Benefit, you must still pay in advance. 292b KENSAL RO We expect you to have a clear rent account every week. If you pay weekly, you must pay a week’s rent in advance. If you pay monthly, you must pay a month’s rent in advance. D Superstore DB Your tenancy agreement requires you to pay weekly in advance every Monday. OW R OA extra amount each time you pay, until you’ve caught up. ST RE ET LA We’re starting to send out legal notices to residents who don’t pay their rent in advance. RR AD F. 26th We presented the Mayor with a bouquet, and invited her to join us for a light buffet lunch. RO Closed NE Th. 25th Using the new machine, our staff will be able to take your payments over the phone, or take them from you in person at our office, or even in your own home. OR W. 24th 9am-2pm After taking a tour of our office and meeting staff and residents from the Scrutiny and the Tenants’ Committees, the Mayor cut the ribbon to declare us officially open for business. LB T. 23rd 9am-5pm Annual report 2013-14 The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Councillor Maighread Condon-Simmonds, officially opened our new head office on 4 December. GO December 2014 to January 2015 Housing Association Thanks to a new portable debit card payment machine, we plan to add debit card payments to your rent payment options from the end of March 2015. Official opening for our new offices Westbourne Park New volunteers wanted We’re offering the chance to volunteer at Westway – to help you or someone you know (not necessarily our tenant) gain work experience and skills. Emira Sadiku (left) volunteered with our housing management team for 18 months, while she was completing a housing degree. After graduating, she recently got a job with Homes for Haringey. “Volunteering was useful as it gave me hands-on understanding of housing and I could put into practice what I learned in theory. “In my new job, I can see how confident it made me in dealing with rent arrears and tenants.” If you would like to boost your confidence and your CV, gain office skills and benefit from housing training, why not call us. 3 Get on the pathway to work Westway Housing has teamed up with the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea on a project to help our residents find ways in to work. The project provides help and support, and can put you in touch with local agencies offering work and training. You can also access employment-related services. Jack Jeffrey from the Clement James Centre in north Kensington is keen to share one of the project’s success stories: “Paul was referred to us last year by a housing officer. He had been caring for his family and hadn’t worked for five years – though before this he had worked as a driver for over 10 years. “People often feel it’s near impossible to get back to work after such a long break, but employers usually understand, as long as the break is explained. “Our first step was to draft a CV that showed off Paul’s skills and explained the gaps in his work history. I then found five jobs for him to apply for and he started to make some applications. “We met weekly with the aim of sending two to three applications a week. Between meetings, I would research jobs so we could get to work straight away. After about a month, Paul got his first interview. However, despite getting to the final round, and getting some very good feedback, he didn’t get the role. “Paul has since referred six family members and friends to us, including his son and wife. We helped to place two of these people into work, while another two have been invited to interviews. We hope that, like Paul, they too will be successful.” If you’d like to find out more about how Pathways to Work could help you find the right job or course, call Charlene Hallal at the Council on 020 7361 2957 or call our Customer Service Officers on 020 8962 3330. “But he didn’t let this get him down. Soon enough, he got another interview and got the job! Now he is working as a driver for a well-known department store in North Acton. Training residents In August, Tenants’ Committee members Sonia Davis and Linda Jones, together with Scrutiny Committee members Patricia Aina and Marie Tobias, took part in our first tenant training session led by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS). We picked ‘Understanding Housing Management Performance Information’ as our first topic, so customer service officers Christine Etten and Marcia Taylor-Josephs also attended, as they are responsible for collecting data and running reports on our performance. Courses planned Next year, we will invite residents to take part in sessions on ‘Effective meetings’ and ‘Chairing skills’. We are also planning ‘mystery shopping’ training for residents interested in testing our services anonymously and reporting back. All of this training forms part of our resident involvement and empowerment strategy. Our aim is to boost people’s skills and knowledge, so that they can make the most of getting involved in our work. If you would like to take part in our training, call the office to express an interest. Employment support project 30 employers – many of them with local jobs to offer. Together with their partner Open Age, the Cardinal Hume Centre is supporing people to find longterm lasting jobs in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea. Job sectors The project can help you prepare for a job in several sectors: The Centre has a scheme for Westminster residents of any age, while Open Age supports people aged 50+ from both boroughs. Being without a job for long can really hit your confidence. So you can expect one-to-one coaching to give you support. They will also put you in touch with a job brokering service, which has built relationships with ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ hospitality customer service professional/admin construction health and social care retail warehouse/utilities/drivers. Contact: The Cardinal Hume Centre, 3-7 Arneway Street, SW1P 2BG. Phone 020 7222 1602 and Open Age, Peabody Estate, Dalgarno Way, W10 5JN. Phone 020 8960 4853 4 Help plan our fun day We’re getting ready for our next summer conference and fun day – and we need your help! We hold these events every two to three years and, in 2012, more than 120 people joined us to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Members of the working group who planned the day (pictured above) say they really enjoyed being involved. We’re now inviting people to apply to be on the working group for the 2015 conference. It will involve monthly meetings from around March to July, with more meetings in August. The working group will plan the event, with members leading on areas such as finding a venue, the catering, music, crèche, kids’ entertainment and marquee hire. If you would like to get involved, contact the office to express your interest. Wanted: a third person for the Scrutiny Committee Patricia Aina from Westbush Court (pictured left) and Marie Tobias from Westway Court (pictured right) are on our Scrutiny Committee. We’re now looking for a third resident member. The Scrutiny Committee includes Board members and residents who work with us to improve our service and performance, and to give us resident feedback. As a member of the Scrutiny Committee, we ask you to come to four meetings a year – usually on a Wednesday at our head office. We pay reasonable travel and childcare costs and provide food and drink. At meetings, the members discuss: ■ how well we’re performing in areas like repairs ■ policies and procedures when they come up for review ■ how we can improve customer service, and ■ how we can get more residents involved in our work. how the association is being run and what is being done. Having tenants involved is very helpful, because it gives feedback to the rest of the committee.” To find out more, call the office and ask for Ben Laryea, or email [email protected] Patricia Aina told us: “It is very, very important for tenants to know 5 Standing up to anti-social behaviour Count me in! The way you register to vote has changed. You now do this online at www.gov.uk/ register-to-vote Most people now register to vote online – but if you don’t have access to the internet, call the helpline on 020 7271 0500 to be put in touch with your local electoral registration team. ■ you can vote in local and European elections, as an EU citizen from another country. You should register if: ■ aged 16 or 17 – so you can vote as soon as you turn 18. ■ you can vote in all elections as a British citizen, or ■ you can vote in all elections as an Irish, Cypriot, Maltese or qualifying Commonwealth citizen (anyone with leave to enter or remain in the UK, or someone who doesn’t need this permission), or We continue to operate a zero tolerance policy towards anti-social behaviour. But, sadly, we have seen a steady increase in reports of low-level anti-social behaviour across our stock. To register, you need to be: ■ aged 18 or over, or Why you should register If you’re eligible to vote, you must register – or you could be fined up to £1,000. Getting credit can be a problem if you don’t, because the register confirms where you live. Of course the main reason for registering is so that you can vote. Voting levels are low in inner city areas – especially among ethnic minority citizens. With a general election on 7 May 2015, Operation Black Vote would like to make politics more inclusive, by getting people in all communities to register to vote as the first step to taking part. Tiana joins the team Our new Apprentice Surveyor, Tiana Ferguson, started work with the maintenance department on 25 September. Tiana is the daughter of a Tropical Court resident and she’s got off to a good start with us. Tiana is particularly interested in the housing management side of our industry, so she has chosen to study a general housing management course to start with. This will help in her day-to-day work at Westway Housing Association, as well as giving her a good base in housing management that she can use as a foundation to progress to the surveying course. To find out more about voting go to www.aboutmyvote.co.uk and for Operation Black Vote go to www.obv.org.uk A lift for Collingham Place Collingham Place residents are very happy with their new lift, after we spent more than £100,000 recently on installing an upgrade. 6 We take anti-social behaviour particularly seriously when it involves breaking your tenancy agreement. So far this year, we have evicted one tenant and sought injunctions against two others. We have a duty of care towards our tenants and we are committed to making sure that you can enjoy your right to ‘quiet enjoyment’ of your tenancy. To help us provide this, please respect your neighbours’ privacy and continue to report back to us when people behave badly in your blocks and neighborhood. Be thoughtful about how the behaviour of members of your household impacts on your neighbours and the community as a whole. Above all, make sure you aren’t the next one to be evicted from your home. If this happened, you would not be rehoused by your local authority, because they would find you intentionally homeless. Shayaan goes the extra mile Shayaan Hafeez, our Income and Tenancy Sustainment Officer, is pictured receiving her star customer service award from our Director of Housing Ben Layrea, after she was put forward by a colleague for going the extra mile during our former Chair’s leaving celebration. 7 Hospital changes in north and west London A&E services have changed in north and west London, following the closure of the accident and emergency departments at Chase Farm Hospital, Central Middlesex Hospital and Hammersmith Hospital There are now fewer A&Es in north and west London and more ‘Urgent Care’ centres. Urgent care centres Urgent care centres are run by GPs and nurses for patients who can’t wait for an appointment with their GP. Use them for: The change is important, because you need to know where you would go in a serious emergency. The map below shows which hospitals still have full A&E departments and which only have Urgent Care centres. But many people are confused about which they should go to when they need medical help. See the boxes opposite for details. Remember, for most problems, you should go first to your GP. And if you have a serious emergency, you should dial 999 for an ambulance. The crew will start treating you right away – and take you to the right hospital for your condition. ■ sprained or strained ankles, wrists or knees ■ minor burns to small areas ■ cuts – including cuts that may need stitches ■ minor infections, such as ear, nose and throat ■ minor broken bones, such as toes, fingers, collarbone ■ x-rays. To keep your estate in good condition, your housing officers Leonard Brown and Anthony Akerele regularly carry out inspections. You are very welcome to join them. A&E To find out more, call Leonard on 020 8962 3346 or Anthony on 020 8962 3347. A&E departments are run by specialist doctors and nurses, who treat major, life-threatening illnesses and injuries including: ■ loss of consciousness ■ persistent severe chest pain ■ breathing difficulties and choking ■ severe bleeding that won’t stop. A&E and Urgent Care centres serving our areas Apart from at Chase Farm (see below), these services run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. H The Ridgeway, Enfield (9am-9pm) A&E Barnet Hospital Enfield H Wellhouse Lane, Barnet A&E North Middlesex Hospital UC Sterling Way, N18 H Barnet Harrow UC Hammersmith Hospital H Du Cane Road, W12 Brent UC Central Middlesex Hospital Acton Lane, NW10 A&E Ealing Hospital UC Uxbridge Road, Southall Key Ealing H H A&E Royal Free Hospital H 4 H H 1 2 3 H H 1. Hammersmith & Fulham 2. Kensington & Chelsea 3. City of Westminster 4. Camden 8 Pond Street, NW3 A&E St Mary’s Hospital UC Praed Street, W2 A&E Chelsea & UC Westminster Hospital Fulham Road, SW10 A&E Charing Cross Hospital UC Fulham Palace Road, W6 A&E Accident & emergency UC Urgent care Inspections take place between 9am and 5pm. They last from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the size of the block. You could come just to inspect the part of the block where you live. Don’t be rubbish about rubbish! Some tenants are still leaving their rubbish and belongings in communal areas and even putting up washing lines and dryers. By doing this, you’re creating a serious health and safety hazard. You are breaking your tenancy conditions and we can serve a notice on you. Please don’t dump bulky items by the bins – even during the Christmas period. It is expensive to get these items collected and we have to charge the costs back to everyone’s service charge. If you see someone doing this, please let us know so we can charge them instead. UC Chase Farm Hospital A&E Northwick Park Hospital UC Watford Road, Harrow Estate inspections – come and join us When residents dump items, outsiders join in – so we end up with items like builders’ rubble and used tyres in our bin sheds. To stop getting hefty bills added to your service charge, keep gates shut, take down the number of any suspicious vehicle you see in our back yards, and phone the police. Scheme Acton High Street Althea St/Townmead Rd Brading Terrace Cadogan House Carter Close Clark Court Collingham Place Collinson Court Connaught Road Culpepper Close Elsham Road Enstone Road Evesham Close 617-621 Harrow Road Hormead Road Humber Drive 316 Kings Street 59 Kingswood Road Marian Anderson Court Marigold Close Melling Drive Lancaster Road Orton Grove Pegasus Court Rhodan Gordon Court Russell’s Wharf Shrewsbury Street Tariq House Tropical Court Watford Road Westbridge Close/ Percy Rd Westbush Court Westfield Court West Green Place Westhill Court Westvale Mews Westview Close Westway Court Westway Lodge Westwood Court Wornington Road Dec Jan 18 Dec 14 Jan 18 Feb 18 Mar 15 Jan 19 Mar 15 Jan 19 Mar 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 17 Dec 19 Dec 17 Dec 17 Dec Feb Mar 15 Mar 15 Jan 19 Mar 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 15 Jan 15 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 19 Dec 15 Mar 19 Dec 15 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 19 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 17 Dec 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 15 Jan 19 Mar 15 Jan 19 Mar 16 Jan 14 Feb 15 Mar 14 Jan 18 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 19 Dec 19 Dec 14 Jan 18 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 15 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 19 Mar 17 Dec 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 18 Dec 14 Jan 18 Feb 18 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 15 Jan 19 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 14 Jan 18 Mar 17 Dec 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 19 Dec 16 Jan 14 Feb 15 Mar 19 Dec 15 Jan 18 Feb 19 Mar 19 Dec 17 Dec 17 Dec 15 Mar 16 Jan 15 Mar 13 Jan 17 Feb 17 Mar 9 Competition ¶ Win a £25 voucher Answer the questions below and return the answers by post to our normal office address, or by email to [email protected] Clue: You will find all the answers in this issue of Westway News. Questions 1. What are we cracking down on at our estates? Cooking with Westway Zero tolerance for abuse Recently, we’ve seen some really rude and aggressive behaviour from residents phoning in to our office. This is anti-social behaviour and we won’t put up with it. The simplest ever mince pie recipe. Our staff have the right to feel safe at work. If you don’t show respect, we’ll ask you to leave. Abusive behaviour breaks the terms of your tenancy – whether you abuse staff, a neighbour or others living in your area. If you are abusive, we will always take action and, in a serious case, you could even lose your home. 2. When should you pay your rent? 3. When did we move office? 4. How long, on average, did it take us to re-let empty homes between July and September? Christmas mince pies (makes 24) Ingredients 225g butter straight from the fridge 350g plain flour 100g golden caster sugar 280g mincemeat 1 small egg, beaten Pinch of salt Brandy or sherry (optional) icing sugar to decorate To serve: Fresh cream, or Low-fat yoghurt, or Custard 5. What is now best done online? 6. Should you go to A&E or an Urgent Care centre if you sprain your ankle? 7. Where are lives being turned around? No more abandoned cars 10. What do we need for the Scutiny Committee? We’re finding an increasing number of abandoned cars on estates such as Hormead Road, Tropical Court, West Bush Court, Rhoden Gordon Court and West Green Place. If you park your car at any of our schemes, it must be roadworthy and properly taxed, and you need a residential parking permit. If you own one of these cars, you must remove it immediately. If you don’t, we will get it collected and scrapped – and we will send the bill to you. Our parking bays are on private land. We reserve the right to remove any vehicle we believe to be a nuisance, or a health and safety hazard. For further information, please contact your housing officer as soon as possible. 10 Put the oven on at 200c/(fan oven 180c). Cut the butter into small cubes and rub it into the flour with the tips of your fingers, then mix in the caster sugar and add a pinch of salt. Without adding liquid, scrunch the mixture into a ball. You can use it immediately, or put it into the fridge till later, wrapped in clingfilm. When you’re ready, take walnut-sized balls of pastry and press them into the hollows in two non-stick pie tins. If you want to add brandy or sherry, splash a little into your mincemeat, before adding a spoonful into each pie Take smaller balls of pastry and pat them flat between your hands to make ‘lids’. Form a seal by pressing 8. Who has a new lift? 9. Who went the extra mile? Method the edges together to make them stick. (At this point the pies can be frozen for up to three months.) Brush the beaten egg on top of the pies and bake for 20 minutes till golden. Let them cool in the tin for five minutes, then pop them on a rack to cool, dusting with caster sugar. Our performance: from July to September 2014 Key performance indicators Emergency repairs completed on time Target for 2014-15 97% July to Sept 2014 100% ☺ Urgent repairs on time 97% ☺ 100% Routine repairs 97% ☺ 100% 100% ☺ 100% 20 ☺ 16.8 100% L 98% 4% K 4.2% Gas inspections completed Average days to relet empty homes Rent collected Rent arrears Every three months we provide performance information to the Tenants’ Committee and the Scrutiny Committee. We show how well we did against our targets (‘Key performance indicators’) in key areas of work. We will be pleased to hear your comments on our performance. 11 Spot the difference Find the 10 differences between these two pictures. Answers below. 1) Boy’s boots are blue. 2) The star has moved to the tree on the left. 3) The cat is grey. 4) The yellow snowballs are white. 5) The front tree is missing. 6) The girl has no scarf. 7) Dad’s hat is maroon. 8) The dog’s eyes are brown. 9) The snowballs on the left are missing. 10) The girl’s hat has two bobbles. Translations and other formats For help with translations or information in Braille, large print or on an audio cassette, please phone us on 020 8962 3330. Arabic Repairs – office hours: Christine Etten, Customer Services Officer, 020 8962 3348, [email protected] Brian Kervick, Property Services Manager, 020 8962 3334, [email protected] Repairs – out-of-hours emergencies: Phone 020 8964 2323 and follow instructions. Housing services: Marcia Taylor-Josephs, Customer Services Officer, 020 8962 3330, [email protected] Leonard Brown, Senior Housing Officer, 020 8962 3346, [email protected] Anthony Akerele, Housing Officer, 020 8962 3347, [email protected] Shayaan Hafeez, Income & Tenancy Sustainment Officer (part-time), 020 8962 3336, [email protected] General enquiries: Colleen Carrington-Miles, 020 8962 3332, [email protected] Turkish Somali Urdu Contact details Office address: Westway Housing Association, 292b Kensal Road, W10 5BE. Website: www.westwayha.org.uk www.facebook.com/WestwayHousing Swahili Copy and design: www.carolsaunders.co.uk www.twitter.com/@WestwayH Westway Housing Association
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